Job Description
The City of East Providence and the Public Library Board of Trustees seek an enthusiastic, visionary, community minded leader as its next Library Director. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership skills, exhibit a clear vision and commitment to librarianship and community engagement, articulate and advocate the Library’s strategic direction, provide sound fiscal management, promote proactive leadership in technology integration, and promote collaborative relationships within the Library and throughout the community.
The Library has an annual budget of $2,680,115 supported by municipal funding along with additional support from the State of Rhode Island. The Library System is comprised of the main Weaver Library, the Riverside Branch Library and the Fuller Creative Learning Center, serving a population of 47,000. The Library staff of 22 full time equivalent employees provides services to over 220,000 annual in-person and virtual visitors. In 2021, the Library offered 849 virtual and in-person programs to 9430 attendees and circulated 223,355 items.
The Library Director has the overall responsibility for the administration of the staff, resources, resource development, long range planning, service delivery, comprehensive programs and public and community relations.
The Library Director is responsible to:
- Lead the Library first and foremost with dedication to excellent customer service
- Advance Library services with adaptability and creativity, responding positively and rapidly to changing community needs and demographics
- Facilitate and maintain close relations with the Mayor and all levels of City Government, the Library Board of Trustees, the Friends of the East Providence Public Library, and the East Providence Library Foundation
- Develop and oversee the annual budget, including preparing and making effective presentations
- Be accountable for the direction and success of Library programs accomplished through others
- Display extensive judgment and ingenuity developing and interpreting Library policies with the Library Board and determining how they should be applied
- Create welcoming Library spaces where diverse ideas and perspectives that sustain an open and inclusive civil society can be expressed safely
- Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to specific equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives
- Possess the ability to act as a consensus builder and work collaboratively with the Library Board, staff and community
- Exhibit political savvy with well-developed prowess at building and strengthening relationships
- See the “big picture” and follow through with plans
- Maintain intellectual curiosity and openness to new ideas coupled with good business sense
- Work closely with the Mayor and City Departments to maintain and improve Library buildings, planning for healthy indoor and outdoor spaces to engage the community
This position requires a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement, customer service and performance management. The ideal candidate will have an understanding of both traditional and new ways libraries serve communities, a high level of managerial and leadership experience with financial and strategic planning responsibilities. We are seeking a proactive individual with a convincing work ethic, who will anticipate challenges, recommend innovative solutions and deliver results.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Master’s Degree in Library Science from a University or College accredited by The American Library Association.
- Minimum of 5 years of increasingly responsible professional public library experience including library management and direct supervision of others or equivalent.
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to the Mayor, City Council, Library Board, staff, and all library constituents
- Ability to make sound decisions grounded in experience, intuition, research, analysis and fact finding.